Time to lament

 

2020 has not been the worst year ever- for me.  That’s not to say that this has been my favorite year because it's certainly had it's share of struggles, but 2008 beats it hands down- no question.  
 
But for some of my friends, and understandably so, they just want this year to end and pray that along with it the sorrows and struggles that it’s brought.   I know someone who lost her daughter just before Christmas, someone who has lost 9 family members due to Covid, countless people in Lebanon who have really been struggling with the financial crisis there, the list goes on.  It’s been a rough year and I feel like my struggles have paled in comparison.  
 
I’ve been reading Job searching for wisdom in knowing what to say as one calamity after another befalls them.  But really and truly, it gives more guidance on what not to say.  His friends all said the wrong thing.  Elihu wasn’t reprimanded by God for his response as were the other friends, but he was in agreement that Job must have sinned, and everything was a consequence of his sins which isn't what God had said.  It wasn’t just his friends though that said the wrong thing.  Job too was challenged by God for the ways in which he blamed God.  How many of us have poured salt onto the wounds when we’re trying to give comfort?  How many of us have jumped to conclusions about situations only to find out later we couldn’t be further from the truth?
 
During this year especially, I’ve shared the strength God gave me to get through the sorrows I walked through in 2008, and shared that while the sorrows did last for a while, we were able to find joy again.  But while I've shared, I've also learned to stay silent and just listen.  I've learned the hard way and gotten myself in trouble a time or two saying too much.  On the other hand, I’ve walked away from conversations feeling guilty for saying too little because I know their sorrows and pain will never truly heal without seeking the One who heals all wounds.  It’s a balancing act and sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don’t.
Job 40:1-5
Then the Lord said to Job,
2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
    You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”


Job Responds to the Lord
3 Then Job replied to the Lord,
4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
    I will cover my mouth with my hand.
5 I have said too much already.
    I have nothing more to say.”

There have been a number of times this year I’ve started to type out my thoughts and when I stop and think, if I’m not sure it’s coming from the Holy Spirit I stop and don’t send it out.  I don’t want to weigh in with my thoughts on current events, whether it’s politics, health, the economy… anything and everything.  There are so many others weighing in already and it's not that I don't feel my voice matters, it's that I'm aware of how little I truly know.  This year, I’ve been trying to keep my mouth shut on the whys of things because at the end of the day, I don’t know if what we’re experiencing is a trial, or test, or punishment, or the result of our choices.  
 
Because so much of what we’re going through is bigger than just one individual, I’ve been reading through Lamentations too in order to seek wisdom and guidance in these calamities that effect all of society.  Both of these books show that it’s natural and okay to express the pain we’re feeling.  

So often we give an automatic response when asked how we are of 'fine' or 'okay' but we don’t have to pretend that everything is okay when it’s not.  It's okay to look at life and share the challenges.  

Job ends with his restoration and sometimes we might think, if I just endure this trial, things will turn out.  But that’s not always the case.  There are times that we suffer and there is no restoration or redemption.  Not in this life anyway.  But we wait on the Lord, and specifically for the Lord’s salvation.  We have a clearer picture of the salvation of the Lord than the author of Lamentations did because we know the suffering that came in order to bring it to us.  It was suffering that brought us the hope of eternal life, but we still have to endure the trials and sufferings of this life.
 
 

Lamentations 3:19-26
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:
 
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.
 
Looking over everything occurring in 2020, when our focus is on the afflictions, we are bound to be downcast, but we have to call to mind the goodness and promises of God during these times.  I don’t know how 2020 has gone for you personally.   Don’t be afraid to express your emotions to God, but don’t forget to see the Lord as your portion and look for his new mercies each day.  If 2020 wasn't your worst year ever, don't be like Job's friends who poured salt into his wounds and presumed to know the heart of God.  Sit with people in their pain, but make sure your presence points them towards God.  Please, if you need someone to listen to you lament about this year- or anytime- don't hesitate to call.  
 

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